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History of Hoenn

Hoenn, a beautiful land untouched by the greedy hands of the humans. The land enjoyed a good time of peace, when all the Pokémon lived together without anything to trouble them. Until that fateful summer of 1879, when a small band of adventurers stumbled upon a cave deep in the bowels of the island known as Sootopolis in the present. The insides of the cavern was filled with hundreds of runes, detailing the birth of the region of Hoenn. Nobody till date knows who exactly wrote these runes, but looking at the writing, it looked as if it was the Veteris Tribe, or the Old tribe, that was responsible for these.

But what was more important was the earth-shattering secret the runes told. They revealed that Hoenn had been created by two godly beings, a creature named Groudon, who formed the landmass, and Kyogre, who gave birth to the ocean. After the creation, they had both fought a great war for some unknown reason, until they both disappeared abruptly and handed over control of the young Hoenn to the Pokémon of the land.

Many of the smartest thinkers and scientists debated about this discovery. What exactly had the two Pokémon been fighting about, and why had they disappeared so suddenly? There had to be some hidden reason behind everything.

The period from 1879-1924 was dominated by political tension. One of the leading experts on the runes emerged during this period, a young Aggron named Adamantius. He provided a rather controversial and groundbreaking theory about the war between the two legends. He said that Groudon had fought the war to make sure that more land could be created for habitation. Another thinker, a Kingdra named Aecor, later expanded on this theory and argued that it had been Kyogre who had been fighting to increase the seas to get some more habitat for its water-based brethren. Many Pokémon were skeptical, but were eventually won over because of all the theories revolving around that topic, this one seemed the most plausible, given the violent nature of the fight that had been described.

While these theories were nothing more than speculation, the theories revolutionized the way Pokémon thought during those times. Many started to support the gods for trying to increase the area for their habitats, and took it one step further when they started to feel that they had been cheated of their deserving land. Both Aecor and Adamantius were hailed as great leaders.

In 1927 things grew a bit more serious. The Pokémon of Hoenn divided into two groups, the Caerulus and Ruber tribes, headed by Adamantius and Aecor respectively. The Caerulus Tribe wanted more land for themselves, while the Ruber Tribe wanted to expand the oceans. Almost all Pokémon devoted themselves to finding a way to revive their respective deity and fulfill their purpose. The two factions realized that due to their conflicting interests, they were going to be rivals in the race towards expansion. War soon broke out, with each tribe trying to subdue the other.

The War only lasted for 3 years, but it’s impact on Hoenn was devastating. About 3/4th of the entire Pokémon population of Hoenn was wiped out, and it’s whole sense of order was destroyed. Even after The Great War though, neither tribe was ready to disband or give up. Instead, Adamantius and Aecor signed a peace treaty, to divide the cities of Hoenn among each other equally. After the once peaceful land was divided, the last remnants tried to rebuild society from scratch...

The Situation NOW

The date is now November 12th, 1980. It’s been 50 years since The Great War, and the Pokémon of Hoenn are still divided now, as they were all those years ago. Both tribes still refuse to look eye to eye, and limited trade and interaction takes place. The Caerulus Tribe and Ruber Tribe are still controlled by Adamantius and Aecor, and their research into summoning their deities hasn’t gone anywhere all these years later. The city of Sootopolis has been considered “disputable territory”, since neither tribe wants to give the city up. Talks for the occupation of the city still take place every week, with tensions rising for the ownership of the city. The recovery of the region has been slow, and is still nowhere near the way it had been before the tribes took over.

About a month ago, a huge ship containing around a thousand human beings arrived in Hoenn, in a place they later called Slateport. The ship comprised of people from Kanto, looking to explore this whole new unexplored region, with its exotic Pokémon. First, the humans were mostly scientists, but a week after that, the others rolled in. The humans began to interact with the local Pokémon with the latest equipment that allowed the two species to communicate; the Pokespeak. The leader of the humans, who was heading the project to occupy Hoenn, was called Alexander Grahams.

Talks between the Caerulus Tribe, Ruber Tribe and the Human Republic, as they’d been named, began. Peaceful division and occupation of the land was being discussed, even though the Pokémon tribes were reluctant to further divide Hoenn and lose power. But, the last war had left them shaken, so they wanted to avoid war altogether this time around. The humans were wary of these new Pokémon, and decided to obtain land through peaceful means rather than force.

Initially, the discussions were in a deadlock. Neither tribe was willing to give up any single one of their territories, but Grahams proved to be a very persuasive man. Both Tribes were forced to hand over land, and everything was proceeding smoothly, until November 10th, which was two days ago.

Grahams and his subordinates had gone on a routine round of the human camp in Route 103. His small team comprised of all major position holders in the Human Republic. As the team went about completing their usual errands, something went horribly wrong. A mysterious attack took place in the settlement, killing every single human being in the camp. The whole camp was burnt to the ground, and Grahams and his team had been successfully murdered. No evidence was discovered, and their was no telling who, or even what, had attacked them. In a matter of a few hours, the Human Republic had lost all its leaders, leaving them successfully “decapitated”.

The humans immediately blamed the Pokémon, and war was declared. Even on the Pokémon side nobody knew what had happened. Both tribes began to blame each other for the supposed assassination of Grahams. Due to the suddenness of the new war, the Pokémon had no option but to defend themselves against the humans, whether they were divided or united. The humans found this war as an opportunity for revenge, and as an easy way to gain Hoenn by force. The humans worked on electing their new leaders for the war, while the Pokémon held their talks to counter this new war that had attacked their somewhat peaceful lives once more...

YOU

You, are either a Pokémon who is part of either tribes of Hoenn, or a human preparing for war.

As a Human

As a human, your objective is simple, fight the war, win the war. You may be the General of the Human Republic, leading the forces into battle and making critical decisions, or you may be one of two lieutenants, who are second in the chain of command and advisors to the General. Or, you may be a medic, or a simple mechanic, or even a spy, trying to contribute in any way possible. As a human, you attack the Pokémon as a whole, without caring what tribe they belong to, or you may work together a member from one tribe and try to attack the other tribe.

The Human Republic consists of the following ranks-

Spoiler:

General
-Officer Ranks-
Colonel
Major
Captain
Lieutenant

-Enlisted Ranks-

Sergeant Major of the Army
Sergeant Major
Master Sergeant
Sergeant
Corporal
Private First Class
Private

The humans are visiting Hoenn for the first time, therefore they have limited knowledge of both the land and the native Pokémon of the region.

As a Pokémon

As a Pokémon, you may be a part of either the Caerulus Tribe or the Ruber Tribe, looking to defend Hoenn against the humans. You are stuck in a three way war between the humans and the opposing tribe. You may either work together with the humans secretly to take out your opponent tribe, or try to unite both tribes against their mutual enemy. You can come from any profession to fight the war, the Pokémon need every being they can afford.

Water and Ice type Pokémon are always going to be a part of Ruber Tribe, while types like Rock, Ground, Steel and Fire will always be a part of Caerulus Tribe. The rest of the types are neutral and thus can be a part of any tribe.

The humans may be a new species for the Pokémon to face, but since the Great War, the Pokémon of Hoenn have turned into a thinking and adaptive species. It could take them little to no time to figure out the new technologies of the advanced humans...

Technology

Humans

The technology available for humans is roughly equivalent to the technology you will find today, except for transport. You have your smartphones, laptops and motion sensing mines, along with automatics and semi automatics, but the standard issue for the average soldier is the trusty AK-47 along with a hunting knife. Transport, on the other hand, has unfortunately not been well developed because of reliance on Pokémon. Boats, small cargo planes and jeeps feature in the Human Republic. The humans also have a basic translator inbuilt that helps them communicate with Pokémon.

Pokémon

Pokémon have advanced over the 50 years since the Great War. The Caerulus Tribe has built several tools which includes primitive weaponry like blades and scythes. On the other hand, the Ruber Tribe have focused on stealth aspect of battles, which include camouflage. Ruber Tribe's offense also includes large scale explosions and elaborate traps to make sure sea routes are often blocked for usage.

The young man observed the now burnt camp carefully. His eyes were starting to fill with tears as he realized that his best friend was now gone, and it was simply sheer luck that had saved him from a similar fate. He cried openly, for the first time in his life, for his best friend since he was a kid, was now dead.

Alexander Grahams was dead.

He was a peaceful man, he didn't use any force or ruthless methods to get Hoenn. He was a kind compassionate man who listened to all, regardless of species. But this was simply inhuman. All major leaders of the HR had been killed in one swift attack. By the time they had reached the camp all that remained was the charred remains of the humans, barely enough for a burial. It looked like a Pokemon attack.

"War." The young man muttered through gritted teeth. "War shall be declared."

______________________________________________________________

???
Slateport City
A week later

The young man was as usual on his routine check of the Human Republic's camp in Slateport city. They'd done a good job in setting the camp, given the short notice. There were makeshift communication towers all around the camp, and the residential camps were to the north of town. Ever since the attack on the HR camp, soldiers had started to be shipped to Hoenn in preparation of the war that they had begun. There as a very dull mood in the camp as most of the people already in Hoenn were peaceful settlers who had come here for a new living, not expecting a war. But circumstances have a way of screwing you.

Two soldiers noticed the man pass by them, and one them who had just arrived the day before, started to ask questions.

"Who's that guy?" He asked in a gruff tone. Even though he had never seen or talked to the fellow he had already started not to trust him.

"That guy? He's the head of communication and scouting. Or rather, was. He's more of a second in command now." The other soldier replied, all the while polishing his shiny new gun in his hands.

"Him?! But he's too young to be even here. Barely must have hit his 20s, that lad."

"I don't know, he was a good friend of Grahams. Grahams was the one who got him here and made him such a big shot. I heard this guy had started to cry at the burnt camp. Were close, which is why he was supposed to be elected leader after Grahams."

"But he gave up the position, right? Which is why Mikkelson is the leader now."

"Yeah, he gave up his position. Couldn't be a leader, he says."

"What did you say his name was again?"

"I didn't. He doesn't have a name, says something about secrets and crap. People call him Nicolas or Nick though."

"Huh... Anyways, we better hurry, Mikkelson's oath is gonna start." Both of them got up with some effort, and proceeded towards the makeshift stage in the center of town for the swearing in of the new leader of the humans, who would guide them in battle.

Meanwhile, Nicolas kept on walking in the opposite direction of the ceremony, he had a mission in mind, a very important one. They needed to scout the region north of the town, the pace they had decided to term as Route 110, which was near the former human camp.

He walked over to a intercom and quietly spoke his orders into it, "Anybody who wants to volunteer for a scouting mission, please come visit head of comms near Route 110, I'll be picking 2 soldiers for this."

________________________________________________________

Trevalyn
Lavaridge Town

The blaring noise of the plane flying overhead woke up Trevalyn from his sleep. The Blaziken reluctantly got out of bed, and scratching his head walked out into the town.

It was, as usual, bustling with activity, which it should, because it was after all the base of operations for the Caerulus Tribe. There was a small market in the very center of town, which was currently flooded with panicked citizens who were scared of the incoming war. He looked up at the plane and shook his head. It had been flying overhead for the past full week with the same message from the humans, declaring war. Over and over and over he had to hear it, and with each passing moment he got even more nervous about what the future held. He looked up at the tall volcano in front of him, where Adam had asked him to arrive at the day before. He sighed, it was a long way to the summit and decided that he'd better get started if he wanted to reach at the correct time.

It took him a couple of hours but he finally got there, not even breaking a sweat. And he saw the grand figure of the Aggron, facing the volcano. Trevalyn cleared his throat, and spoke out, "Adam."

"Tray." Adam spoke quietly, as if afraid that someone might hear him at the top of this deserted volcano.

"Okay, let's cut to the chase Adam, what do you want?" Tray's voice had a slight edge to it, as if wary of his own leader.

"What do you think? I want many things, Tray. For example, I want Groudon to come to our help in this time of need. But I sure as hell DO NOT need a meeting with that other tribe!" Adamantium suddenly thundered, obviously he'd been thinking hard about this topic. Tray grabbed his forehead, he'd expected this would be the topic.

"Adam, we need to solve this. We cannot survive another war after that one last time. We need to discuss this as a species, the humans won't be looking at us as Caerulus or Ruber Tribe members when they massacre us." Adam's expression grew increasingly annoyed with each word.

"No! I refuse to take any help from those non believers."

"Listen, Adam," Tray started, with a bit of hostility in his voice, "We have to do this. Even if you don't responsibility I can take ove-"

"Never! This is my tribe! I formed it, and I led it through the Great War! I absolutely refuse to-"

"Adam, shut up." Tray said, in a very blank voice, "If the crowd didn't believe in you, I would have struck you down, right here, right now. The message has been sent and you will attend this meeting, along with some members of the tribe."

Adamantius simply growled, and stomped his feet into the ground. Tray felt the ground shudder and a few cracks develop, but he remained unfazed. It had become very clear to Tray that Adam had started to lose control of the tribe steadily, and started to become a lot more reclusive. It was time for change of leadership. After the heated conversation, Adamantius simply turned around and stared into the horizon, and Tray immediately knew the meeting was over. he started to drag himself back towards Lavaridge, and for some reason, the conversation had really drained him mentally. Tray had already informed all the Pokemon in the town to get ready for the meeting.

"I really hope this works out..."

_____________________________________________________________

Kip
Mossdeep City

"Aecor! Aecor you have to see this!" The Weavile yelled as he pushed his way through the crowd that had gathered in the main square of the Ruber tribe's town. He was headed towards the leader of the Ruber Tribe, who was busy giving a speech in the area to motivate people.

"What is it, child?" Aecor asked. He had a way of speaking, that managed to soothe you but at the same time grate you in a very weird way. The Weavile was caught off guard by this for a moment but immediately recovered.

"Aecor, we have received this letter from a messenger. It has the stamp of... the Caerulus tribe!"

"Ah, good job delivering this to me so quick, Kip. I knew you would be a good replacement for our old second in command!" Kip blushed, happy with these compliments, and forgot to hand the letter over in his excitement. "Um, the letter now, Kip." Aecor gently reminded.

"Oh, oh yes!" Kip said, happiness replaced by embarrassment of forgetting his duty in front of hundreds of followers. He opened the letter and handed it over the leader. Aecor took a couple of moments to read the letter, with a very absorbed expression. The tribe could tell it was serious.

After almost an eternity had passed, Aecor smiled. "This is a letter for a meeting. In a couple of hours, as well. This is urgent, but we're heading south of Mauville. That is where we have to meet."

Kip was alarmed. "This could be a trap! Why did they choose that place? Why did they-"

"Kip." Aecor said. "Do not worry. We shall take some of our tribe members with us. In the wake of recent events, we shall trust some a bit. But of course, not without our regular... arrangements." Kip understood. He nodded his head.

"Children of Kyogre! Prepare for the meeting!" Aecor announced, and the whole crowd burst into applause, even though they had nothing to cheer about for now.

Turnip hadn't really accustomed to life yet. Considering he hadn't arrived at Slateport by boat, he had pretty reduced chances of a welcome as it was, and since he'd arrived during the preparations for Mikkelson's oath, those chances had been reduced to so near zero he'd be better off trying to get one from a hypnotized snorlax.

He didn't really focus much on the announcement itself until later on. At first, he just got the drift that:
- first of all, some leader people had been murdered by sinister whatevers and they wanted revenge. Fair enough.
- second, they were giving out free weapons, which sealed the deal.

And so he'd joined the Human Republic's war effort. This turned out to be a little misguided.
As the Human Republic's militia forces branched out into camps, Turnip found himself stationed in an out-of-the way sort of camp, towards the North of Slateport but not quite on the front lines. The camp was large enough, but mostly forgotten about in terms of military dealings. It was more of a place where soldiers would stay temporarily whilst moving from central Slateport or thereabouts to another camp, nearer the front lines - or vice-versa. There was lots of that sort of thing, with everything just beginning to be set up. Turnip, however, was stationed there permanently. Of course, he didn't mind; having nothing to do gave him a lot of freedom to conduct small operations of his own. By drawing little attention to himself, he could investigate more about what was actually going on.

Turnip is still relatively clueless as to the reasons behind the war. Of course, he knows that the Human Republic are at war with Pokémon - which he isn't particularly thrilled about - and that there appears to be some kind of conflict amongst the Pokémon themselves. The truth behind it, though - and where the faults lie - he still wants to find out. Still, he is dreading the day when he may actually be asked to do something of vague importance in this damned conflict. Supposedly there was recent news in the camp that some Nick guy wanted to scout out route 110 - as bored as he was, there was still no way he was getting himself involved in that. Frankly he didn't care much for the authority of these people.

Anyhow, today, for Turnip, was just another day. He preferred to keep to himself most times. If other soldiers happened to want to spend some time in the bunk house, he'd get a sudden craving for a little fresh air and lean against the outside wall. If another soldier happened to want to stay just outside the bunk house, he'd feel cold all of a sudden and want to go back inside - not that it was much warmer in there, anyway. If there were soldiers both inside and outside the bunkhouse, he'd immediately get the feeling he had to go for a walk.
Well, that, or he wanted to get away from his peers. Probably that, actually.

Every now and then, a jeep might drive past. Maybe a weapons delivery, maybe some kind of strategic news. Maybe he'd take apart one of his guns and reassemble it.

Again.

Or maybe, just maybe, something big was about to happen, and he'd be dragged into the bloody mess.

Sigil Casus
Slateport City
A thin man stretches as he gets off a boat. He remains silent as he looks at the place around him, he adjusts himself as he smiles fondly. New Pokemon, new places, new disguises, all had drawn him to this place. The whole death of the leader was just an excuse for him to finally visit this exotic land. Taking a deep breath in his pointed nose, he adjusts his collar. The Sinnoh region had a few Pokemon that, thankfully, were found here as well.
He opened his suitcase to go through a brief runthrough of his disguises. A Gardevior costume and a rather ill-fitted Dusclops costume were all he could find that would fit in with this bizarre new region. He sighed as he closed up the case. This was not going to be easy with only those two, especially without any material to make any more. It was gonna be a long mission, and he doubted he'd be able to return home for a long time.
He took out his gun, his wallet, and some cigarettes and took to some stretches.

"Never! This is my tribe! I formed it, and I led it through the Great War! I absolutely refuse to....."

Zepheros narrowed his eyes and watched as the frustrating conversation erupted between Adam and the Blaziken - Trev. Both of them were fairly reasonable with their own points, but both were also too stubborn to put their hostility aside and cooperate. The Staraptor spread his wings and glided onto another tree, landing on a lower tree branch with his sharpened talons. Though Zeph himself didn't want to admit this, it was certain that he Adam had lost a bit of its power and respect from his people. Okay, maybe not a bit, but quite a chunk of it. With the argument ending without much progress (no surprise there), Tray turned around and walked towards town, probably preparing himself for the meeting.

'I don't care if we fight against Ruber or the humans. As long as we stand firm and win the battle, it doesn't matter.

After giving Adam a final glance of disgust, Zeph turned to Trev and followed from above, reaching the town slightly faster than the fried chicken himself. Once there, he landed on the sandy ground and walked calmly towards the town center, observing the frightened faces worn by various Pokemon beside him. With a small, frightened whimper, a paranoid Growlithe walked past the bird, glancing at the sky from time to time to see if there were any aerial attacks from both the Ruber Tribe and the pesky humans. Zeph, letting out a small sigh of hopelessness, closed the distance between them by a gentle flap of his wings. "Don't waste your energy being afraid."

The canine yelped with surprise upon seeing him, but quickly retained his composure. "They might attack us any minute, you know...! Aren't you at least a little paranoid?"

Zeph snorted and returned a slightly warmer gaze instead of a strict, forceful one. "They aren't that senseless. Ruber would never engage on us with no reason. The Humans aren't used to the landscape around us, so attacking this base would be risky and difficult. We'll be safe for the time being."

The Staraptor then shifted his gaze onto the market at the center of town, pushing the Growlithe gently with his wing. "Why don't you try keeping that off your mind by helping the others with the goods? After all, we need to be prepared now don't we?"

The Growlithe returned a loyal nod and darted into the marketplace, disappearing under the canopy. It was a little difficult to hide his blood-lust in front of everyone else, but after being in Caerulus for so long, his patience and 'immunity' had increased over time, allowing him to stay calm (most of the time) during serious events.

Looking behind his shoulder, Zeph acknowledged Trev's arrival and made his way towards the meeting area. Once there, the Staraptor approached him and murmured at a lower, quieter tone. "Not doing so well with Adamantius, I see."

This would be interesting...

__________________

"Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere" - Anton Ego

"You go do what ya gotta do... We'll see you there." Allen said as he walked towards the center of camp.

Damien slung his rifle on his back and started walking in the other direction. He pulls out his pistol and pulls the slide back a couple time before re-holstering it. He passes by some soldier, who drop what there doing and stood at attention. It made him feel important.

As he was walking, Damien heard some orders through his comms.

"Anybody who wants to volunteer for a scouting mission, please come visit head of comms near Route 110, I'll be picking 2 soldiers for this."

He hit his comms unit and started speaking to Allen.

"Hey bro, I'm gonna go get on that scouting mission. Enjoy your show." He said into the mic."

"Alright Damien. Just take it easy, kay. Keep your boots grounded and your head in the game."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks mom."

Damien got off his comms and flagged down a jeep going to 110. It was a quick ride. He checked over his equipment on the ride. The jeep pulled over next to the Comms officer.

"Thanks for the ride man!" Damien said to the driver as he stepped out.

Every Ruber gathered began to clap wildly. Everyone of them, except for Jet. It's a damned trap set by the Caerulus. He always thought that way. Jet just crossed his arms and humphed. He looked to his left and saw a massive Feraligator raising his fists in the air, roaring like an idiot. Don't get Jet wrong, he loved Aecor. He just couldn't believe that those groundies wanted to have a meeting. He approached the Feraligator. "Rip, you can't really believe this crap can you?" Riptide and Jet had been friends for a long time, so they could speak plainly with each other. "There's no way in hell that these groundies are gonna let us leave that meeting alive."

"Jet, you worry too much. Loosen up buddy. You know that Aecor will pick the best of the best, and everyone knows you're the best when it comes to explosives." The Feraligator was a little bit biased when it came to deciding who's better at what, but even if he was exxagerating, it was only a little bit. Jet was very good when it came to explosives, but there might be some out there that were better than him. "I'd say you're a shoe-in."

Jet just scoffed. "I don't know about that." He knew that he was really good, but he wasn't stupid enough to believe that nobody else was better than him. "I'm great, but I'm not the best." He took a moment to readjust his satchel so it would fit comfortably and still allow great mobility and accessibility. "You don't understand. I know those damned humans are gonna give both of us hell, but those bastards of Groudon won't give up their pride. They'll fight tooth and nail for their so-called 'righteous cause.'" Jet believed that the Caerulus had heads as thick as the earth they worshiped.

"Say what you may, but I think this meeting is a good thing." Riptide stood firmly.

Jacob had landed the night before in his personal aircraft at 0121 in the morning. His night landing was executed quite well, but he would have preferred to try out landing on a blacked out LZ on the brand new night vision goggles he had just bought, but the landing field was well lit and they didn’t want to turn off their lights. Either way it was an excellent landing and Jacob was proud that he hadn’t smashed his plane and himself into flaming bits on the runway. After landing he had set up his plane to operate as his personal residence and had gone to sleep after an episode of some Sci Fi space TV show he had on his computer.

The next morning most of the soldiers and locals were all in a buzz about their new leader being sworn in, but all Jacob cared about was whether or not the man would see the need to hire him. He had heard the rumors of war and where there is war there is a need for people with his skills. Thing is would the new leader be wise enough to pay the price required to hire the best hit man in this new region. However until the ceremonies were over the question the mercenary had was what to do to burn the time. Should he stay here and listen to whoever this leader was going to say or go on the scouting mission? Of course the real question was would he get up and do something or listen to some general drone on before he approached someone about writing up a contract.

Looking around while sitting in a random chair he had found Jacob muttered to himself, “So listen to some likely boring speech outlining how this leader is going to bring the “glorious” republic to victory, or go on a pleasant walk through the woods hoping to find trouble.” He saw people beginning to gather for the leader’s introduction so he quickly made up his mind. Sighing a little he stood up, and walked back to his aircraft to grab his equipment. Once he had his rifle (we was already wearing his sword on his back and a pistol in a holster on his left side), he slung it over his shoulder and wandered around until he found his way over to the head of communications.

Walking up to the kid he looked the young man over before saying, “Well I’m here… if you want my assistance. Name is Jacob King, bored mercenary for hire. Going for a enthusiastic walk through the forest sounded better than being put to sleep by my future employer. I dislike self promoting inspirational speeches that are usually given when people are given fancy new titles.” Jacob then glanced over at Damien and looked at him for a second before saying, "Why do I get a feeling you would prefer our enthusiastic nature walk to involve lots of killing poor little woodland creatures?"

The tall man watches as soldiers and others prep themselves for battle, watching as they exercise, maintain and build weapons, preform target practice in standard military uniforms. He goes into the kneeling position, hearing all the sounds around him slowly vanish as he enters a deep state of mind. He twists his arms and legs as he enters more positions, no longer Sigil Casus in his mind, but an unworldly observer. He uses his other senses to tell what is happening, to imagine things far into the distance.
He thinks back to his enrollment, where they told him the Pokemon weren't like normal Pokemon. How they were more... human. He imagined the mysterious creatures, how they would act and how they would move. He imagined how he would slowly, but surely become one of them. How his disguise would become his skin and how his enemies would become his allies. He imagines the bonding they would undergo and how he would find a way to let the humans and Pokemon live with eachother peacefully.
He imagined the look of shock on their faces as he revealed himself to be human. A human who'd they'd told every plan, every secret and weakness. He imagined how the world would be so different. Anyone watching would see a large, toothy grin forming on his face, at seemingly nothing. The dark, crooked teeth would most likely be off-putting to most.

So it goes. The news about the attack on route 103 travelled quicker than light, and before anyone got what the hell was going on, Mauville city and Oldale town became the frontline against the Human Republic, the crack between Ruber and Caerulus became an impassable fissure again, and the goddamn human planes were flying over the heads of Lavaridge town, scaring the children ****less. Father and son sat huddled together, babbling about everything under the sun, and just trying to comprehend what in the hell they were going to say to each other if they knew that they might never see each other again some day.

"Dad?" The youngest Ampharos, in his thirties, yet holding a vigourous physique of a young aroused whippersnapper in his prime, asked to the elderly ampharos sitting across from him. His father looked into his direction, sort of. He was exhibiting one of those thousand yard stares that, even when his eyes were pointed at him, weren't really looking at him. Sometimes, it seemed like he could see in four dimensions, and he was looking at how that spot appeared when the two tribes fought in the Great War, and then snaked towards the decades of rebuilding, to a house built on the ashes of the old one, watching new life be formed, himself and his wife celebrating the birth of their first child, Ruby; second child, Galeno, and third child, Cyprus. and then finally in the present state of all space, there was Galeno, now a grown up Ampharos, whose black neck bands were chipping off like old paint. And the whole line was a continuum, kind of like the conventional spatial dimensions of height, width, and depth. He didn't really blink, just wheezed in and out and sat in his oakwood chair with his arms over his lap. Today was the old fart's 70th birthday. He finally gave a response in the present.

"Yes?"
"Can you tell me a story about the Great War?"
"Chaos."
"Maybe in more than one word?"

"I am sorry," the elderly ampharos turned his face to the side, to stare out of the window of the little stone and timber home. Galeno scooted over to him. He knelt on the floor and grasped his father's arm with both of his paws. "Dad, I just want to know what I am up against. What can you tell me about the Great War?" The old one looked back at his son again and spoke: "You look like you're going to propose to me. Come on, stand up." Galeno's face flushed and he averted his eyes in shame, but obeying his father's wish while the old one cleared his throat and he blankly stared at the ceiling, as though that was where he cached his stories.

"The boys and I were over in Verdanturf, sent as reinforcements just before the assault by the Ruber tribe. We manned the ramparts and just waited for them to come flooding in, heh, literally. The combined efforts of hundreds of water pokémon causing the most awe-inspiring flood with all of their water spouting attacks. The immense waves crashed against the blockade and leaked into the town. Then the fishies came swimming in, drowning the ones that weren't fishies. Didn't really matter who: commoners, soldiers. They were given orders to destroy. Only thing they didn't know -- hehe -- water conducts electricity. And then all the little fishies became fried little fishies. Yes, we fought back. And the more we killed, the lower the water got. And then they won."

"They?"
"Yes, they. Not Ruber, of course, but not really Caerulus either. Adamantium won, really, and Aecor felt a little patronised. War isn't all that different from playing chess. People are only willing to make a move when they've got plenty of pawns, and of course the king, he just stays back. He is supposed to stay back, because when he dies, no matter how many people are willing to die for the white pieces, the game dictates they lose when the black pieces capture that one useless figurehead. It's simple, really: when the rich wage war, the poor die."
"What happens when a pawn initiates a war?"
"Excuse me?"
"Like right now. What happens when a pawn initiates a war?" Galeno spoke up with a louder voice. His father's hearing had become a bit dull over the years.

The old man slouched in his chair and he rested his chin on his paw. He sat quietly: in fact, the only noises that came out of him for the moment were a few snorts, grumbles, wheezes, and other excretions of the slime in his throat. "Drastic changes happen, beyond the orchestration of the king."

Galeno stood up. His time was running out, and he still needed to report in over at the town's square. "Dad, I need to go. Happy birthday again." Without thinking, he leapt over to his father and embraced the frail man. "Oh, dear," the man sighed. He draped his arms around his son. "Just don't hold the illusion that there is any--" "I know dad, just...just shut up and hug me." He wanted it to last for a few more seconds, but he really had to leave. There was a meeting over in the centre of Lavaridge, and Galeno was eagre to attend it.

__________________

RP's I am in:
Pokemon: Journeys Through Novia - Glyn Schaffer

"And they tell me there are people who are normal, but I don't know what they look like because I've never met one. And neither have you, so why not compare yourself to real people instead?"
"Three lives of a gamer: the first'll be your best, because you can always restart if it isn't; the second pales in comparison, and the game will cheat you out; but the third one's going to be better, because it gets do or die from then."

Aurora sighed quietly as she floated above Lavaridge, watching the citizens run around in a panicked state. Many were raiding the stores in hope to buy up necessary supplies to stock up for the expected war. Circling around the area she honed in on an Aggron and a Blazikin deep in conversation. Both seemed annoyed with each other and she concluded it was best to stay out of it. The last thing she needed was to get wrapped up in an argument when so much was going on.

Aurora then flew off towards the Hot Springs to meet up with her group. She had started a small class to teach the young fighters of Lavaridge various skills needed for battle. Upon arrival she noticed her class was as cheerful as ever. They were running around playing games and laughing merrily. Behind them a shadow had caught her eye. A large figure leaned against one of the trees and watched the group. As Aurora landed she saw just who the mystery Pokemon. It was a strong looking Haxorus with a bandaged arm. She recognized the Pokemon from earlier. His name was Lordus and he was a formidable foe. Aurora thanked her luck that this Pokemon was on their side. The fact that he was there meant that things were becoming very serious.

Ignoring Lordus for the moment, Aurora called her class together. “I am sorry little ones but class is canceled for today and from now on. Things will become serious here soon and it is best if you spend the time with your families and friends. Please try to understand.” A small Torchic quickly responded to Aurora. “But we don’t want to. We want to learn to become strong fighters like you and that Pokemon over there.”

Aurora couldn’t help but smile at the youngling. “And someday you will be a strong warrior, but for now you need to learn to enjoy your youth. You will all be strong adults soon enough. There isn’t a need to rush such things. Take your time and learn all that you can. Maybe one day all of you will even surpass me in strength.”

“You can count on it! I am going to be the strongest Pokemon in Lavaridge. NO! The whole world!” The Torchic proudly spouted.

Aurora giggled, “I am sure you will be. For now I want all of you to take care. If I restart the classes I will make sure to contact all you. Class dismissed.”

Aurora watched as her class slowly dispersed as they talked about what they were going to achieve in the future. Once they were all gone she approached Lordus but made sure to keep some distance between them. “So I see things are going to become serious. There are a lot of rumors going around town right now about the war and the Ruber Tribe. I just saw Adam in a dispute with Tray on the volcano’s peek. Do you know exactly what is going on?”

Well, that was rude. Who is this prick, anyway? Turnip glanced up, noticing the soldier who'd come in to interrupt one of his many times re-assembling his deagle. Seventh time today, by the way. They were a few inches shorter than he was, female, standard AK, hunting knife - an average soldier, he guessed. Judging from the jeep he'd vaguely noticed, probably not here for long.

"I believe they're called clothes. You might have heard of them."

Turnip knew she was referring to the helmet. A snide comment deserved a snide answer, though.

Fair enough, maybe not so much of a prick, then. Pretty bad at first impressions, though.

Turnip responded with nothing more than a "Hmm" of recognition, then decided to exit. Now, he'd wanted to stay just outside the bunkhouse, but it looked like someone else had had roughly the same idea. Roughly Turnip's height, he noted, FN SCAR-L, hunting knife, USP .45.
Alrighty then, a walk it was.

The main camp, it seemed, was only a little less busy than it was when he'd come in; that is to say, STILL BLOODY BUSY. Now, Turnip wasn't particularly shy or claustrophobic or anything of the sort, but these people were... unsettling. Anyone who was going to war needed to have a good reason for it, and Turnip hadn't really figured out those reasons entirely, yet.
Well, he was in the main camp, why not find out?

Nicolas looked at the two applicants for the scouting trip. Both of them looked like battle hardened veterans, who had obviously had some training, which made Nick himself feel out of place, seeing as he lacked any experience in the battlefield himself.

The first one to apply was a face he recognized, Damien Pierce. "Sir, I heard you needed some... professional help. I'm ready to do what I can, Sir!"

Nicolas was amused with his enthusiasm, sensing his need for some action to spice up life. He looked at him screw a silencer on top of what looked like just another big f***ing gun to him.

The second one was equally tough as the first. And it seemed like this one was a bit of a gun for hire, which freaked Nick out even more, because he knew he couldn't really trust his one.

“Well I’m here… if you want my assistance. Name is Jacob King, bored mercenary for hire. Going for a enthusiastic walk through the forest sounded better than being put to sleep by my future employer. I dislike self promoting inspirational speeches that are usually given when people are given fancy new titles.” He then looked at Damien and said, "Why do I get a feeling you would prefer our enthusiastic nature walk to involve lots of killing poor little woodland creatures?"

"Hey, Hey!" Nicolas said, snapping his fingers. "Talk for later, concentrate on our mission first." Once he had made sure he had everybody's attention, he continued.

"Okay, first of all, I don't think we're going to need the big shiny guns you both are carrying," he laughed, "It's just a simple scouting mission to map the route from Slateport to the next city north of here."

"This here," He pointed at another officer standing right beside him, "is Clarke, and he's going to be accompanying us in the mission, that makes this a four man team. I'll give you guys 30 minutes to pack up and meet me at the northern exit of the city." Nicolas said, and without even asking for any queries simply walked off, leaving Clarke behind with the other two mercs.

Clarke looked at the two soldiers, and spat on the ground. "Ya know," He said, chewing, "Ya guys are better off not trusting that fellow there. They say he ain't as loyal as Grahams thought he was. Words around that he goes wherever there is power... But that's just silly talk. After all, he must have something that Grahams saw. And I don' think that young lad would betray us humans to join Pokemon, eh?"

_______________________________________

Trevalyn
Lavaridge Town

Tray was glad to see so much activity in Lavaridge after a long time. His word had spread fast, and Pokemon were already getting ready for the meeting. He smiled, thinking about how he'd managed to win the argument against Adam, and became considerably elated when he became aware that he had the upper hand now.

His train of thought was interrupted by a voice, though. "Not doing so well with Adamantius, I see." Tray turned around irritably, and saw the Staraptor with anger issues, Zeph.

"You're better off not listening to things that you don't understand. If I catch you eavesdropping again, I swear to Groudon you'll end up on my dinner plate the next day." Tray warned. "And don't go around spreading these silly lies in the town." He added as a parting gift. He wasn't too worried anyways, nobody in town believed the crazy bird anyways. Except for the other crazy bird that followed him around as an apprentice.

He walked away from there and towards the hot springs, where he managed to spot his nephew in the crowd of young warriors.

"What, did class end early today?" Tray smiled at the young Torchic, who looked up at him beaming.

"Uncle Tray! Class ended early today, but I don't know why..." The Torchic had an animated expression, almost as if he was perplexed as to why they had cut class short and weren't training to fight right now.

"I'll see what happened." Tray proceeded towards the teacher near the corner, a Dragonair who went by Aurora. Along with her was another Pokemon, a Haxorus, who seemed familiar to Tray.

“... Adam in a dispute with Tray on the volcano’s peek. Do you know exactly what is going on?”

"I can answer that for you." Tray interrupted, "And that answer is, nothing. Nothing is wrong."

"Ale." The innkeep looked up at him, frightened, as he pushed past the door, claws screeching against the wooden floor.

"I'm sorry, we don't quite serve at this hour." The Chansey mustered the nerve to not look away when he locked his deep blue eyes with her black ones.

"Why, what's wrong with this hour?" his rough, raspy voice made her cringe.

"War is coming--"

He let out a short laugh that sounded like claws scourging a chalk blackboard. "All the bloody world knows that. Ale, I said." He reached for the pouch hanging from the black belt across his chest, then snapped it and tossed it in front of her feet. The coins inside rung a sound so sweet that persuaded the innkeep to grab for it and begone somewhere to the kitchen. The gold he gave her was enough to buy ale for the rest of the month, but he regretted nothing. Counting coins wasn't his hobby.

The bulky Haxorus was blocking the door entirely, slightly leaning forward so his head wouldn't bump into the ceiling; the tips of his two swords were scratching the floor as the belt they had been hung from had lowered on his thick waist.He waited. The Chansey returned with a skin of ale, he smelled it and grinned, revealing his sharp teeth.

"Do you require anything..."

"Further? No, I thought you'd be running away from town. War's coming," he reminded her. The empty inn was the proof. He took a step toward her, extending his left arm to reach for the ale. Glancing at the dark bandages around it, she winced, but she handed him over the bottle. He popped it open, brought it on his mouth and left the inn without a word.

***

Giving all his money for a skin of ale was something he longed to do. He had little use ofgold. Might as well spent it on ale. He loved ale. One of his favorite pleasures, the sweet draught sliding down his throat. Warring while being drunk was something he would give all the gold he carried for. His accountant back in his house would pull his hair out, if he had any left, he was that bad at keeping gold.

He stopped amidst the road, his eyes locked on a pair of Pokemon. The skin of ale hung from his belt, empty, as he stared the leader of the Caelurus Tribe down with dark amusement.

"... I want many things, Tray," the Aggron was saying. "For example, I want Groudon to come to our help in this time of need. But I sure as hell DO NOT need a meeting with that other tribe!"

"Adam, we need to solve this. We cannot survive another war after that one last time. We need to discuss this as a species, the humans won't be looking at us as Caerulus or Ruber Tribe members when they massacre us." The Blaziken named Tray had a point, though Lordus wasn't quite into the idea of discussing. Ruber Tribe was known to be full of Pokemon with water instead of brains, though there were a few exceptions... he had a friend once. Once.

"No! I refuse to take any help from those non believers." The Haxorus barked laughter. Best join the humans, I'd say to myself. Bugger these gods the Tribes speak of, and bugger their damned hides as well.

"Listen, Adam, we have to do this. Even if you don't responsibility I can take ove-"

"Never! This is my tribe! I formed it, and I led it through the Great War! I absolutely refuse to-"

"Adam, shut up. If the crowd didn't believe in you, I would have struck you down, right here, right now. The message has been sent and you will attend this meeting, along with some members of the tribe."

Lordus would raise both his eyebrows, if he had any. Bold one, this Tray. Likely to get himself killed with that tongue on this meeting he speaks of, before the war even starts. He took his eyes off the Blaziken to a familar, slender form of a Dragonair. His face shook in a brimming half-smile as he stared at her approaching. Here comes the beauty.

Aurora kept her distance, he noted, a quite cold move of hers, it would seem at first sight, but he minded none.

"So I see things are going to become serious. There are a lot of rumors going around town right now about the war and the Ruber Tribe. I just saw Adam in a dispute with Tray on the volcano’s peek. Do you know exactly what is going on?"

"I can answer that for you." The Blaziken interrupted them, "And that answer is, nothing. Nothing is wrong."

Lordus let out a long sight, clenching his teeth and looking away from them both, on the ground, thinking all the while. "Nothing is wrong," he said finally, then let out a raspy laugh that reeked of mock. "If you'd give me a leave for a guess, I'd let my nose do the work. The thing smells like ****, if you ask my nose."

Having decided to search for a few answers on the war's reasoning, Turnip had headed further into the main camp. He just hoped that whatever answers he found would justify anything these people wanted him to do for them.

The only problem was, what exactly would he do if the answers didn't justify what they were doing? What if they were horribly in the wrong? Sure, Turnip isn't the nicest person, but there's a difference between nice and moral - and if they're starting a war for no good reason, you can be sure as hell he won't be a part of it. He wasn't really sure if it were possible for him to just leave, though, and as sure as he was of his own fighting prowess, he sure didn't like the sound of taking on an entire army in its centre of operations.

So, what would he do? The answer was simple: He didn't know.

What he did know, though, was that he was about to be thoroughly distracted. Someone was loading cases onto the back of a jeep, from the looks of things to be transported somewhere (hooray for Captain State-the-obvious). A series of three clunks could be heard as a case opened and closed again - Turnip saw what was inside, though, and he liked what he saw.

"THAT is a sniper rifle." He noted. A new one, too, an FN Ballista. It seemed there were some others, though - he could see the range of different cases loaded onto the back of the vehicle.

The soldier loading the jeep turned around, surprised at the sudden enthusiasm. Especially from some guy in a trench-coat and some helmet-thing.

"... It is." He confirmed.

"So, uh, any chance I could get my hands on one of those?"

"What? Oh, no, sorry. These are bound for route 110, some camp up near the front line. I'm just taking them up there, not in charge of them, if you want one you'll have to ask whoever's over there."

"Ah, right, that's fine. Thanks anyway."

"No problem."

Turnip would remember that. He'd get his hands on one of those rifles if it was the last thing he di- well, maybe not that far. He did want one, though.

That aside and noted, Turnip continued towards the centre of the main camp. Answers, he remembered. Answers, then rifles were his main objective. He noticed a group of people who seemed to be doing something official, and caught the end of a sentence:

"... you guys 30 minutes to pack up and meet me at the Northern exit of the city."

Wait a minute, wasn't that that Nick guy? Nicolas... without a second name. Maybe he was Nicholas Cage in secret. That was it. Surely. Well, Turnip thought the absence of a surname was a little odd, but then who was he to question people's names?
Nicolas had wanted people for that scouting mission. Turnip wasn't bothered about that in the slightest, but if he was ordering people about, then he was probably fairly high up in the rankings, maybe he'd have some answers...

He did look like he had someplace to be, though... for a while he just stood there in the path, not knowing whether to approach Nicolas or not.

The tall man finally starts speaking, albeit to himself. "One... with the Pokemon."
He opens his suitcase and takes off his bald wig, replacing it with the wig that came with the Gardevior costume. He slips off his shoes and pants, revealing his thin, almost feminine legs as he slips into a white dress and tights. Removing his shirt he puts on the white, skin-tight cloth about his body and slips on long, white gloves. He finished with a large, plastic spike. He left the make-up off, slipping out of the costume once he was finished to keep himself from getting shot. The costume still fight like a glove, but his next one needed much more set-up. He got redressed and entered a janitor's closet, setting a "Do Not Disturb" sign for further measure.

Mikkelson waited as the convoy of armoured jeeps navigated its way through slateport. Mikkelson's vehicle was in the centre, and three soldiers sat in the vehicle with Mikkelson. Based on the situation, Mikkelson had his suit on and wasn't as armed as he normally was. But not to be unarmed, Mikkelson still had his Revolver and Grappling hook tucked inside his coat, as well as a couple of smoke grenades inside his pocket. Mikkelson observed the upstart city of Slateport, which was reasonably established during the short time that the city had existed. Still, it wasn't enough for Mikkelson. This region was going to be under his control, even if he had to rip it out of the cold, dead paws of the pokemon. Still, Mikkelson had the thoughts of whether or not the people would like him, it doesn't matter, Mikkelson said to himself, as long as they respect me. Mikkelson exhaled as the convoy came to a stop. Mikkelson looked outside through the window, and he spotted the podium where he would be addressing the people of the Human Republic, a lone island in a sea of faces ready to hear their new leader deliver his goals, promises and his oath. Mikkelson knew if he was going to rally the people of the Human Republic, he was going to have to start strong, promise a major victory right off the bat, although that was part of the plan for victory. That was another thing that struck Mikkelson's mind, what to say. He did not write a speech, so he would have to come up with something off the top of his head, great start, Mikkelson thought to himself. Mikkelson watched as the door open for him, and with the eyes of the entire Human Republic on him, Mikkelson stepped outside the convoy, making a firm salute to the people as he walked out of the convoy and towards the podium. Mikkelson portrayed a disposition of pure confidence, yet he was a bundle of nerves on the inside, and at the same time he was scanning the outskirts for any possibility of a pokemon attack. Putting all of the nerve-wracking thoughts in the back of his head, Mikkelson stepped up to the podium, then breathed out, and approached the podium. Mikkelson stared into the crowd, and with a burst of confidence, Mikkelson loudly began,

Jacob looked somewhat amused at Nicolas’ reaction to his weapons, but before he could say something the young man ran off telling them to get ready and be at the north exit of the city in 30 minutes. Just then Clarke piped up and said not to trust Nicolas because he might be power hungry then Clarke discredited the rumors he was using to justify not trusting this Nicolas. Once Clarke finished Jacob opened his mouth and spoke his mind, “Yes, let’s go wandering the unknown road unarmed after all your leaders were murdered in this land. I think I will keep my weapons on me for now.”

Jacob then turned his attention to Clarke and said in a cold voice, “Don’t worry if anyone betrays me I will put a bullet in his or her head.” Jacob’s demeanor was calm as he spoke of killing and the air he put out hinted he that he would do it without hesitation. “If you don’t trust him perhaps you should ask to be reassigned to someone else instead of following him who knows where. Personally I don’t care, I’m a mercenary… I don’t really have any loyalty to your Republic,” added Jacob. He then turned and began to walk toward the north part of town. Jacob thought about what he had said. It was true he wasn't loyal to the Republic, but would he actually take a job for the Pokemon if they offered him one? Jacob shook his head and smiled to himself while muttering to himself, “Like they would ever hire me… no reason to even think of the impossible.” He then sighed as the thought went through his head that if the Human Republic didn't hire him then who would on this rock?

‘Well if they don’t perhaps some “opportunist’ would want a personal bodyguard with my skill set,’ thought Jacob as he realized his plan to come here might not have been as solid as he had originally thought.

"You're better off not listening to things that you don't understand. If I catch you eavesdropping again, I swear to Groudon you'll end up on my dinner plate the next day." said the Blaziken. "And don't go around spreading these silly lies in the town."

Zepheros snorted and tilted his head up, peering down at him by just a little to test the waters. "Dinner plate? You can try."

With a casual shrug, the Staraptor turned around and looked behind his shoulder before moving on. "Oh, and by the way - lies? You out of everyone else should know about our tribe's condition. I suggest that you either do something to help us, or stay out of our way and light yourself on fire...oh wait."

With a smirk of amusement, Zeph watched as Trev left him and headed towards someone else - a Dragonair and a Haxorus. Ignoring the fact that they could be mere friends or allies, the Staraptor jumped into conclusions straight on(and not knowing too). Hm, strange couple, especially when it comes down to size and all. How can they even make out?

"Nothing is wrong," came the Haxorus' reply while letting out a raspy laugh. "If you'd give me a leave for a guess, I'd let my nose do the work. The thing smells like ****, if you ask my nose."

Zeph chuckled at Lordus' reply and left the area with a mellow grin under his sharp, alert eyes. Foreshadows of future events? I think so.

Right then, a familiar figure entered the fray, causing Zepheros' eyes to lock onto his target thanks (to his natural hawk-like instincts). In came Galeno, an Ampharos that had been dwelling around here for a while now. Here for the meeting as well?

Curious to know the others' thoughts about the upcoming war, Zeph pushed his silent and stalk-ish personality aside and hovered towards the electric type, standing beside him and looking at the pokemon with the corner of his eyes, keeping that '(seemingly) superior yet classy' style of his. "We've never talked before, Galeno; what do you think of the upcoming war and the tribe itself?"

__________________

"Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere" - Anton Ego

The town's centre could be described as civil panic. Commoners bumped into Galeno on the way, carrying supplies that they were supposed to live on as the war commenced. He and his dad, Farran, had raided the store of a fresh supply of berries, drinks, candles, tools: it was costly, yes, but there was necessity to it, and in the meantime, he kind of needed a father-son moment again, since he hadn't contacted him in a while. His home was more towards the pale of Lavaridge; a small cottage, built from the money he earned from the trade escorts across the Ruber-Caerulus border. And of course he was away from home a lot too, always out fulfilling an escort contract of some sorts. though with the tensions becoming higher, the demand for escorts across the border would drop, but that made lucrative business for the daring merchants and extra money for himself to support a future family, and damn, he still wanted to make kids with that woman.

Galeno threw a look at the Staraptor who approached him: another one of those young buff fellows, much more vernal than he was, freshly leaving his adolescent years behind him probably. That didn't withhold him from holding a pretentious air when he stood aside him and only deemed him worthy of an eyeflick towards him. He fomented most people around him like that, outwardly defiant towards the Blaziken a few moments ago. He spoke: "We've never talked before, Galeno; what do you think of the upcoming war and the tribe itself?"

Galeno nodded in acknowledgement of the Staraptor's presence. Big bird, big talk, but most of it true anyway. He always looked like he knew more than others, now especially. "Zeph, right?" Galeno stalled his answer a little longer. His tail buckled side to side, glowing carmine. "The humans. Those ones are the parasites we need to remove from Hoenn, if you ask me." His answer was deliberately superficial. Sure, Zeph was openly defiant towards the authority figures that led Caerulus tribe himself, but he didn't want to make his qualms with the ruling classes known to just anyone he talked to, and he didn't like the Staraptor enough yet, even though his attitude was killer. He oughta man up, though. Zeph probably shared his opinion about the 'great and powerful' Adamantium, the dear leader, but cloysterfooting his way around the humans and letting them annex land that belonged to them, the pokémon. And when was the last time there was ever any progress on that whole Groudon giving them back their rightful land or whatever it was that he used to stir up the poor people so they could die for him? When the rich wage war, the poor die. So it goes. "You know more about this meeting?" he asked.

__________________

RP's I am in:
Pokemon: Journeys Through Novia - Glyn Schaffer

"And they tell me there are people who are normal, but I don't know what they look like because I've never met one. And neither have you, so why not compare yourself to real people instead?"
"Three lives of a gamer: the first'll be your best, because you can always restart if it isn't; the second pales in comparison, and the game will cheat you out; but the third one's going to be better, because it gets do or die from then."

Zeph watched as Galeno nodded back with his reply, letting out a rather typical yet sensible answer. "The humans. Those ones are the parasites we need to remove from Hoenn, if you ask me."

Maybe Galeno is smarter than I expected. At least he makes sense, unlike Trev, he thought with his eyes full of concern (though only for a couple of seconds). Then, the Staraptor turned to the Galeno, looking at him eye to eye...now that the electric type had sparked up his interest. As usual, Zeph's eyes softened a little while listening to what he had to say. It seemed that at first the Staraptor would be quite ntimidating, but upon hearing something interesting or meaningful, he would listen in a more warm-hearted fashion.

"Your answer makes sense," Zepheros started with a barely-visible grin. "This region used to be exclusive to Pokemon. We need to make them look like outcasts, not new dictators of the land."

The bird, however, had a spark of complexity and wisdom behind his sharp, crimson eyes. "But there's more than just fighting humans head on. Battling against them will only weaken our forces, and more importantly we have no idea how powerful they are. If we lose, then it's over for our tribe. If we win, we will still be weakened and Ruber has a high chance of defeating us. On the other hand..."

Zeph then gazed at the skies, looking at the direction where the Ruber tribelands stood miles away from his vicinity, safe from harm and potential threats. "If we fight Ruber or co-operate with the Humans in attempt to defeat them, that would also be dangerous. By co-operating with them, they will know more about Hoenn's landscape - one of our strongest advantages. Also, once Ruber's gone, there's no doubt that the Human Republic would launch a full scale attack on us as well."

Turning back to Galeno, he silently apologized for ranting on like that, but continued with his conclusion, not knowing that the others could eavesdrop on him. "I don't know much about this meeting. Not yet. We will probably head towards the cities that are closer to the borders...to prepare, I assume. Either way, it's not wise for us to make the first move. We might be mainly composed of rock and steel types, but we shouldn't just use our heads for bashing through walls.'

__________________

"Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere" - Anton Ego

Galeno followed Zeph's eyes when he turned his gaze towards the skies, turning south south-west. He knew he was thinking of the Ruber tribe. Galeno agreed with Zeph's ponderings. Caerulus would be in for trouble if they were going to be the initiatiors of aggression. They'd end up either too weak to fight Ruber once the humans were gone, or too weak to fight the humans once Ruber was taken care of. Either way, everyone was going to lose. When the rich wage war, the poor die.

The Staraptor's gaze of concern was rightly unexpected to Galeno. Zeph had a reputation to be a bit nonchalant, a cool and calculating personality, but he became uncannily real for a few seconds. Another aeroplane dashed overhead. The paranoia-inducing screeches of contraptions flying above them, spying on them or whatever it was that they were doing. Galeno was scared that any moment, they'd just bomb the town to smithereens, and every damn pokémon: women, children, didn't matter, their lives were worthless to them anyway. When the two gazed in the same direction, the plane threaded through the clouds. A glimmering metal bird, like a skarmory, in which those humans defied the laws of gravity.

"Working with the humans is a death sentence. No matter what," Galeno said, "They declared war on us. All of us. They would rather skin us alive than help us, I reckon. So it goes." he gestured towards the plane. "I bet they won't have any reservations about massacring defenceless civilians either." He mustered a vindictive expression towards the flying machine, and the orbs on his tail and on his forehead grew brighter the more impassionated he became. He watched the plane disappear into the distance, becoming but a small grey dot in the sky with a trail of white puffs ejecting from its backside, marking exactly where the thing was heading. "Old Adam's had it coming for him when he let them trot into our backyards and take Slateport," Galeno said and he shook his head. One thing he hated that Zeph was right about was that fighting against the humans would weaken Caerulus in an eventual battle against Ruber. Of course, Aecor and Adamantius still could not see eye to eye and their efforts to renumerate the sacrifices of his father's generation only faltered under false promises and the hush hush efforts of the elite about the lack of progress in making any of that Groudon giving the pokémon their rightful land from the damn fishies in the sea thing come true. "You don't believe in any of that Groudon-Kyogre prophecy crud either, right? I mean, that it was necessary to fight a war over it," He asked Zeph, lowering his voice to a whisper. It was heathenish to publically speak out against something like that so he wanted to be cautious.

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RP's I am in:
Pokemon: Journeys Through Novia - Glyn Schaffer

"And they tell me there are people who are normal, but I don't know what they look like because I've never met one. And neither have you, so why not compare yourself to real people instead?"
"Three lives of a gamer: the first'll be your best, because you can always restart if it isn't; the second pales in comparison, and the game will cheat you out; but the third one's going to be better, because it gets do or die from then."

Blue... it was a lovely color to the Golduck. Granted his body was a sleek blue tone, but it was the color of the ocean, the color of the sky even! He always enjoyed the deep shades of blue that the ocean could be. In fact this was the best way he enjoyed spending his time, just sitting on the beach and listening to the waves with a friend. Penance looked over at the Gardevoir and smiled, "So, I was thinking... what if a small group of water types could act as carriers? We have some pokemon like Lapras and what not; surely it could mean you would be able to stay with me wherever I went. Lapras are very fast, though would you be comfortable with it? I wouldn't want to put you in an element that causes you to tense up too much, that could be dangerous as well."

Alicia sat staring out over the ocean's gently rippling waves, her hands in the sand by her sides. She seemed lost in thought for just a few moments before blinking gently, turning her head to look to the Golduck by her side below a fringe of her green, silky hair. "Oh... sorry, I was just thinking. I suppose it could work. It's really the only viable way for me to travel by sea at all. I'm just not sure about... you know, riding on another Pokémon like that. Teleporting you and myself is one thing, but standing or sitting on top of another..." She trailed off and gave a little shrug, turning her gaze to one of the pebbles scattered around the sand. Her eyes glowed a faint purple as one of the pebbles lifted up and was sent skidding across the water's surface.

Penance smiled as Alicia casually used her psychic powers to toss the pebble. "But it would also be a feasible means for me to keep a good eye on you. And it would really help to justify you on the battlefield. You're a powerful psychic so any small help would be... well... helpful." He looked out at the ocean once more as a small wave hit against the shoreline. "I fear once this war with those newcomers gets really going then we'll be apart more than I would like. Sure there would be times where we are given breaks, no doubt, but at the same time it's going to be working all day. With those Caerulus pokemon rubbing on one side of us, and those... creatures rubbing on the other side I am very sure we will all be deep in work." He sighed, "Still, those creatures... humans right? I still don't see why we can't just swim over and kill them all. I'm sure we can get a few of the troops rounded together, hit them from the sea, maybe even destroy that settlement of theirs. If they have no place to live they have to leave right?"

"Mmh..." Alicia murred out, her eyes on the pebble still continuing to skid away on the waves until it was lost from sight. Her brows furrowed slightly as she tossed her head gently to the side, moving a lock of green hair away from her face, turning her head back to look at Penance. "I'm not sure. From the rumors I've heard, they apparently have some powerful weapons, said to kill unarmored Pokémon in nearly an instant." She then pauses, looking a little thoughtful before focusing again. "You did hear the announcement a short while ago, right? There's supposedly a meeting going to be happening between our tribe and Caerulus. I think they want to make some kind of... truce, to deal with the humans. I'm... not sure how well it's going to go down, or if it's even a good idea at all. Even if I want our tribes to just... handle each to our own, I'm not sure if either of us can take on the other tribe -and- the humans." She turns her gaze skywards, taking a deep breath of air. "I think I should go with them to the meeting. In case they need a medic." Her voice let it be known that she had already decided, but she also made it clear that she was hoping he would offer to come with them.

Penance nodded slowly at her words. In a way they made sense, the two tribes were far from allies. In fact, to Penance's ears it sounded like the Caerulus tribe would try to ambush them at this so called 'meeting'. If one thought about it, it made much more sense. All of their important leaders and planners would be going. It would be so easy for those Caleruluians to just grab some of their strongest soldiers, have a few of their own great the diplomats and then start reigning down fire and rocks upon them. There was a type advantage on their side of course... but there was all the advantage of surprise as well. "Alicia... I fear this is a trap. I must say that now. All of the important pokemon are going to it... what's to stop them from simply laying waste to the important pokemon in our ranks and ending the hatred here and now by hunting us down?" He closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh salty air. "I can't stop you from going, I know that, but I think I have to at least raise that possibility with the others. We need to make a few plans... some counters just in case I am right. I wish not to be right... but if I end up being right then I want the least amount of causalities we can afford."

"I understand." She paused for a few moments, her fingers trailing softly through the sand, burrowing into it and pulling out again, enjoying the feel of it, and of the sound of the splashing waves. "But don't you think they're thinking the same? I know this might very well be a trap. And I really don't think we'd be able to work together with them, even if we have to... but we have to try. I'm afraid of what the humans will be able to do if we just wall ourselves up in the sea and on our islands." She lowered her gaze from the sky to look over to her friend again, concern easily readable in her expression. "I'm fairly sure we'll have a couple plans at the ready, but you should definitely go and offer your advice to it. You're an amazing tactician, Pen', it'd only help them. And... well, I'd feel more at ease with you there as well." She admitted the last with a light smile on her lips, raising an elegant arm to let her hand gently tap his bill in a playfully friendly manner.

Penance chuckled at that and patted her softly on her shoulder, "Alicia, you are an amazing psychic. Yes, we will need all the help we can get. Besides, I have to be there to see if my plans are able to work correctly right?" He smiled at her, "I ask you not to worry my friend. We go in ready for anything. With you by my side anything is possible." He glanced about and nodded. "Yeah, we'll come out on this war on top, I'll make sure of it. Now, we should head back to the others and get ready. It'll be quite a trip to the meeting place and we should pack lightly. We'll go over some plans before of course. No need to have those stupid fire types be dominant while we are there right?" He asked with a soft chuckle. He stood up and stretched his body. "This will be quite the meeting though. I am never one to miss action."

Alicia nodded, watching as Penance stood up and stretched out before following along, standing up and brushing herself down with long, elegant movements. "I hope you're right. About coming out on top. And you have to keep in mind that there are more than just fire types in the other tribe. Just something to consider during your planning." She gave a little smirk as she turned and stepped past him, heading towards the square where the others were preparing to head off, casually saying over her shoulder; "Not that I'd ever doubt you or your plans."

Penance just chuckled at her comment, "I'll make do, don't worry Alicia." He called after her. The Golduck followed after his friend, and went to where he knew he would be needed. Aecor was a logical thinker and hopefully would be in the mood to hear his words. The crowd was in a good mood at the moment and Penance was able to spot Aecor through the pokemon and made a bee-line to him. The Golduck bowed his head before the Kingdra. "Aecor... if I may have a moment of your time before we depart. Things must be discussed sir. Important things if you will." He made sure to emphasize that last part. They could not go in empty handed and he didn't want to stir up the crowd too much. Aecor had a way with words... Penance didn't. He just talked about what he thought could happen which would more often then not scare the soldiers and rustle some feathers... but now something had to be said. He didn't enjoy destroying Aecor's good mood... and while both tribes were at peace there was still hatred there that had to be addressed. It was for the good of his tribe.

Indeed, Zeph's eyes of concern were quite a rare and valuable sight. After all, the bird had often cloaked himself with a veil of mystery and nonchalance, making it almost impossible to see the softer bit inside him. In Zepheros' opinion, doing so was rather necessary. Other than creating a stronger, more threatening impression of himself, it would also avoid unnecessary drama regarding emotions and psychological matters...though sometimes, just sometimes, Zeph wouldn't mind letting it slip. What harm could be done anyway?

More uninteresting planes traveled across the sky, leaving a white trail behind them as if they were trying to mark the Pokemon-infested territory with smoke. Bold acts, Zeph had to admit, a little too bold. If they're trying to scare the innocent, then they've done an excellent job...

"Working with the humans is a death sentence. No matter what," Galeno said, "They declared war on us. All of us. They would rather skin us alive than help us, I reckon. So it goes."

"Living under pressure like this is not going to work in the long run. Though I agree with you, something has to be negotiated between us Pokemon and the infiltrating scum that's knocking on our region's door," Zeph growled under his breath. "Adam...he's not all wrong though. If we fought them when they invaded Slateport, the same outcome would occur - we would either lose or be overpowered by Ruber or perhaps even the Humans later on. He's been avoiding fights, and even though I hate to admit this, he's not making the wrong decision. It's just that we need to play our cards right and stay safe. We can't afford to lose half a city, let alone the entire tribe."

Galeno's voice then turned into a small whisper. "You don't believe in any of that Groudon-Kyogre prophecy crud either, right? I mean, that it was necessary to fight a war over it."

Zeph thought for a moment, closing his eyes before landing his gaze onto Galeno once more. "Hm. The Groudon-Kyogre incident's been there for ages...i'd buy it to a certain degree. We need morale. Fighting for the land god is a good way to increase it. Furthermore, I'm staying neutral about this matter. There are citizens that believe in this prophecy, and there are definitely some that don't. What I'm saying is that by staying in the gray zone, I can make sure that both sides are still satisfied. Look at Adam. Some people don't like him not only because he's stubborn - he's disliked because a number of tribe members disagree with his 'bullcrap'. Best way is to stay in the middle. Balance always plays an important factor..."

A sudden question popped up in this mind, allowing him to change topics relatively quickly. "What do you think of...Trev? Is he trying to be leader? What are your thoughts, Galeno?" He hoped that Galeno was getting the message - Zeph wanted change...

And he also wanted to be leader.

__________________

"Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere" - Anton Ego

The Ampharos grunted. He folded his arms, like an automatic subtle defence mechanism to the counter-argument of the bird and his eyes just pointing towards the top corner away from the Staraptor. The aeroplane washed out of existence, and the jet trail dissolved, the artificial cloud spread over a larger and larger surface and became thinner and thinner. He figured that anyone who had the means to follow the trail would bounce upon Slateport, and be met with a hail of bullets from the humans: projectiles that flew faster than the speed of sound, and made deeper lacerations than the strongest drill peck.

Farran always told Galeno that the Groudon-Kyogre story was a mere excuse for the ulterior motives of Aecor and Adamantius to convert their pawns. It was easy to change the colour of the grey pieces, but once who is white and who is black was determined, getting them to unite under a common banner against a bigger third player was going to be difficult, especially to keep them under a unified banner after the colonialists' threat was removed, and then finding out white suffered the most losses. The damn aristocracy was at fault, and the bloodshed of the Great War covered the war of the classes. The former was a tragedy, but the latter was outright malicious manipulation, and now that the humans arrived to profit off of the lands, weakened by a schism running through its centre, they fell into their own traps, and of course it were the common folks who suffered. And what a clever rouse it was until that moment. They were the geniuses after all to instigate killings of religious fervour, after all. When the rich wage war...

"Trev?" Galeno shifted his eyes to a different corner of his sockets and shrugged, "He means well, sorta. But surely he's not to actually take charge, without Adamantius I mean. He's more one to direct the leader than to put himself in the lone top position." Galeno thought of Trev as being too vulnerable to run himself into a figurehead status, with no one to peel at above him. That's what he was good at. Peeling away at the above guys, not stamping down on the ones below him. "More like a housewife than a father, if you ask me," he gave a snide addendum to it, holding a smug smirk on his face and stifling a cackle. His elated expression died out again, and he slacked a sigh when he gazed at the sky. Well, the jet trail had dissipiated by now, the metal bird was probaby perched in one of those aerofields by now, along with the rest of the machines that were going to mean hell to him if the silence before the storm got broken. "And who knows, Zeph. Maybe what was the extreme becomes the new grey zone if we work for it," Galeno said, "I just don't want to believe that a bunch of doodles on a wall in a cave are the only things that could give us a purpose. There must be something else we can feel sincere to fight for, right?"

__________________

RP's I am in:
Pokemon: Journeys Through Novia - Glyn Schaffer

"And they tell me there are people who are normal, but I don't know what they look like because I've never met one. And neither have you, so why not compare yourself to real people instead?"
"Three lives of a gamer: the first'll be your best, because you can always restart if it isn't; the second pales in comparison, and the game will cheat you out; but the third one's going to be better, because it gets do or die from then."

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